Hey Freshman: The First Month Of School Sucks…But It Gets Better

We here at CollegeCandy apparently make it seem like college is an absolute blast: dressing up for themed parties on weeknights, collecting endless memories around your college town and learning life lessons from all the top-notch faculty that tuition can buy. But after your first month, your impression of the next few years might be pretty scary: a strong hate for your new roommate, difficult classes that move too fast and too many drunk texts that alcohol can take the blame for. You’ve waited so long to finally get here and, now that you are, maybe it’s just not all that it’s hyped up to be…

But before you sign those papers to withdraw from college – or the college experience – completely, let me tell you: college is awesome. It’s exciting and fun and full of new people, new places, new experiences. This is the beginning of the rest of your life! You’ll find your lifelong friends and deepest passions while occasionally losing your cell phone and too many hours of sleep. You’ll wake up with more stress than your shoulders can handle and fall asleep in shock at what you’ve achieved in a single day. Because for the first time, it really is all about you: learning from your past (or leaving it behind), savoring the present and focusing on your future.

It’s just the first month that’s incredibly and painfully rough: you’ll feel like you’re the weird new kid on campus, contemplate breaking up with your high school sweetheart and crave the company of family, friends and homemade cooking. But honestly, it’s all the unfamiliarity of these years that holds so much potential for what it all could be. And it could be – no, it’s going to be – absolutely great.

Don’t listen to all your friends at other schools who are “lovin’ it!”. They’re not. Well maybe some…but most people admit at the end of freshmen year that the first month was more scary than fun. More lonely than they thought it would be. So just know that it will get better and you will have fun. It takes time to make the bestest friends of your life. You probably won’t meet them the first month.

Ashley is an NYU student who is holding on way too tightly to a potential career in magazines and goes to Vegas way too often. She’s fascinated with celebrities and strawberry beer and doubles as a pathological texter. Feed the addiction with tweets @cashleelee. Thanks in advance.